Author Archives: Tanya H. Franklin

What’s Eating You Baby?

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Quinn Eating Her Grilled Cheese Sandwich With Baby Spinach and Tomato

Quinn Eating Her Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Baby Spinach and Tomato

A few of months ago, I had a conversation with a mother of a two and a half year old, and she was sharing with me how her little boy has become such a picky eater. Getting him to eat any “healthy” food choices, outside of certain fruits, has been an ongoing battle. It was then that I knew my days were numbered with my little girl’s (who just turned 20 months yesterday) willingness to eat new and healthy foods. Within the past month, she has become more vocal, saying, “No,” shaking her head, shoving the spoon or fork away if my husband or try to feed her or even putting her hand over her mouth to show her disdain for certain food choices. Sometimes, she convinces me that she is just not hungry, but then my husband may have something “not so healthy” in addition to our meal for dinner, and Quinn will cozy up to him as sweet as can be and say, “Please.”

On one hand, I am excited that Quinn is becoming her own person and standing her ground, but on the other hand, I want to ensure that she is receiving the proper nutrients. Fruits are no problem, but veggies are getting tricky. So I’ve been getting clever with her meals. One of her favorites (I hope it stays this way) is grilled cheese with baby spinach and tomatoes. Another is mac and cheese with added broccoli, which she will ask for by name.  I have a feeling that I’m going to need to compile quite a few healthy meal selections as Quinn’s taste buds change or she refuses a meal choice. If you have any healthy options that your toddler loves, please feel free to let me know.

All the best,

Tanya

Oh Christmas Tree…”Ouch” Christmas Tree!

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Quinn Examining B.G.'s Ornaments

Quinn Examining B.G.’s Ornaments

I love decorating for the holidays, especially for Christmas. Putting up the lights, garland and tree has always been a childhood favorite of mine, and I want to pass that tradition on to my little girl as well. Last year, at seven months, Quinn did not pay much attention to the tree, but this year she is fascinated with it and loves examining the ornaments. For fun, my husband and I always name our Christmas tree as though he is a part of the family. This year he is “B.G.” (short for Big Green).  Every morning, she enjoys saying, “Hi tree!” or “Hola arbol!” As sweet as this interaction is, Quinn also loves yanking off B.G.’s ornaments and will either stash them in random places or return them to her dad or me with a big grin on her face.

So we came up with a plan which was working for a little while. We convinced her that it hurts him and pretended that he was saying, “Ouch!” whenever she pulled at his ornaments. Initially, she had sympathy for B.G. and would even stroke his tree branch and say, “Sorry” or “No ouch tree!” But lately, she quickly yanks off an ornament and yells out in a high-pitch voice, “Ouch!” Then she scurries off giggling with me or my husband chasing behind her. She thinks this is hilarious, and as much as I want her to stop messing with B.G.’s ornaments, it is quite funny, and I find myself stifling my chuckle from time to time as I catch my little girl sneakily trying to take one of B.G.’s ornaments when she thinks no one is looking. Here’s to new Christmas traditions!

All the best,

Tanya

We Hit the Lotto Baby!

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Quinn Getting Ready to Sort

Quinn Getting Ready to Sort

Watching my little 19 month old girl master a skill always puts a smile on my face. She often amazes me and catches me off guard with what she is capable of doing. Since Quinn loves playing on my iPad, I downloaded some  apps through iTunes to stimulate her critical thinking skills. One app in particular which is designed to “enhance vocabulary, hand-eye coordination, categorization, concentration and visual perception” is Tiny Hands Children’s Educational Lotto I. The app involves matching puzzle games where the child drags the object on the card to the identical object on the board. Quinn has been playing this game on occasion for about two months, but she mainly just liked to touch the object so that she could hear the name of it and attempt to repeat it. About a month ago, she figured out how to drag the object across the screen, and within the past couple of weeks, she figured out how the drag the object to the one that matches. Though I still like the “old-fashioned” wooden puzzles and activities that have physical objects she can touch, such as sorting the different color bears as pictured above (as does Quinn), I am extremely impressed with the progress my little one has made in a short duration of time and would highly recommend this app for anyone who has a tech savvy baby like mine. Here’s a video of my little girl matching different clothing items:

All the best,

Tanya

Big Baby is Watching!

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Quinn looking at photos of herself

Quinn looking at photos of herself

Though my little girl is only 19 months, she enjoys leafing through the many photos and videos on my iPad. One video in particular that she plays quite frequently is of her walking for the first time at a little under 11 months. She often smiles and points and signals to me or my husband to watch the video with her as she replays this achievement over and over again. Using an iPad has become so natural for her that I should have known what was coming sooner rather than later. On quite a few occasions, Quinn has taken random “selfie” pictures, but the other day, for the first time, Quinn decided that she wanted to film her first video rather than watch. She recorded a 20 second video basically looking at herself. Now that I know what she is capable of doing, I better watch out because my “big baby” girl is watching and just might start filming me. Who knows, maybe I have a future video production professional on my hands!

All the best,

Tanya

Shake Those Maracas Baby!

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Quinn and her musical maracaRegardless of a toddler’s gender, race or culture, it has been my observation that most children love music. There’s something about the rhythm that makes them want to move, jump, spin, giggle: you name it! Since my little girl already loves dancing and music, we have purposely selected some musical toys to encourage her interest. When Quinn was just a year old, we got her the Leap Frog Learn & Groove Counting Maracas, and they are one of her favorite go-to toys. What I love about these maracas is that she is able to practice her counting and colors in both English and Spanish. Though she is only 18 months, she is already saying many of the numbers in order. “Uno, dos, tres…” comes out “oh no, dotes, twes,” but it is too cute to watch her say them. Of course, when I attempt to record her, she will not say her numbers or colors in either language, but I am looking forward to the days when she is eager to share what she knows. If you are looking for a fun musical toy for your toddler that teaches as well, this may be the one for you.

All the best,

Tanya

“Falling” in Love with My Baby

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Quinn Having Fun in the Leaves

Quinn Having Fun in the Leaves

When I was younger, I loved jumping in the leaves, taking in the beautiful reds, yellows and oranges, listening to the loud crunches as I stumped my feet. Though my fun has now shifted to work as I rake up piles of leaves that surround my home, I have managed to fall in love with autumn all over again through my little girl. Initially, she was seated in her trike, but overtime, she made it very clear that she wanted to get out and enjoy nature. As soon I got her out of her trike, she headed for the leaves and could not resist jumping in them and throwing the leaves everywhere. She was absolutely tickled as she tossed the leaves all around her, as was I.  In that moment, I was not thinking about how she was slowing down my progress with getting all of the leaves to their designated area for the leaf collection or the dirt and other germs that might have been in those leaves. I just smiled and thought about how carefree she is and how grateful I am to have her in my life. Quinn continues to leave me in awe, and I am looking forward to more simple yet memorable moments in the near future. Here’s a brief video below that really captures the fun Quinn was having. If only we all could have this much fun playing in the leaves.

All the best,

Tanya

Not Too Little for Chores Baby!

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Quinn ready to do some sweeping

Quinn ready to do some sweeping

Clothing yanked from drawers and tossed any and everywhere by a giddy little toddler. Food mashed and tossed onto the floor when she decides she’s full or just doesn’t like the menu. She takes pleasure in balling up, ripping or drawing on any and all papers she comes across. Sometimes I think Quinn believes it is her job to add to the list of chores her daddy and I have to do to keep our home orderly and clean. When we straighten up, my little girl laughs hysterically as she pulls the pillows off of the sofa that we just neatly placed. Though it can be a challenge at times, her laughter still puts a smile on my face.

Interestingly, a few months ago while I was sweeping, Quinn showed an interest and kept wanting to grab the broom or dust pan. She actually wanted to sweep! At that moment, I wondered, “Is she too young to have a basic chore or two?” For fun, I did purchase my little 17 month old her very own broom and dust pan (actually when she was 15 months). Though she still prefers to use mine, she will eagerly grab her broom to “help” me sweep the floor. Presently, putting away her toys or helping me put away her clothes after she has decided to toss them out of the drawers with wild laughter or closing the door after I have loaded the laundry are some of her chores. I want to not only teach Quinn how to be responsible, but I want her to not dread chores but look at them as a way to bring us closer together as a family. What chores do you have your little toddler doing? Is 17 months too young?

All the best,

Tanya

Let’s Read Baby!

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2014-08-27 11.59.49I’ve always enjoyed reading as a child and remember being so excited to select books at the library, local book store or just off of my personal bookshelf at home. It is my hope that my daughter will have the same level of excitement and have a strong affinity for reading. While my daughter was still growing inside of me, I would read to her and feel her kick every so often as though she was delighted with the story and wanted me to read more. Since she was born, my husband and I to read to her least three or more times a day.

2014-06-11 06.45.09What truly amazes me is for the past few months when my little girl Quinn wakes up, she immediately looks for one of her books as though it is the morning paper and casually yet intently leafs through the pages for about ten to fifteen minutes, sometimes even longer. We all think our children are geniuses or special, and Quinn is no exception. For some reason, Quinn has always known which way to hold a book. No matter how many times my husband and I intentionally giver her a book upside down, she will turn it right side up before she starts “reading.” Occasionally, she will read aloud in her special language eagerly pointing to the pictures and identifying the objects she sees when asked. I just love that my inquisitive little girl is so interested in books and will do all that I can to increase her fondness of them.

The Ultimate Playroom for a Colorful Child: School is in Session!

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2014-07-30 10.23.15bJim Greenman, author of Caring Spaces, Learning Places, says, “Children deserve to spend their days in well-designed environments that support their needs and stimulate their learning.” Though Quinn, my sixteen month old daughter, is not in an early childhood education setting,  she certainly deserves to have an area that is not only rich in play and teaching but a place she can call her own.

I am extremely grateful that my husband and I have accommodating work schedules so that we do not have to put Quinn in daycare; however, there are some benefits that come along with such educational environments. For the past few months I envisioned, designed and set up what I consider to be more than a playroom for Quinn but the ultimate learning environment. This area will be constantly evolving as she continues to learn and grow, but at this point, watching Quinn’s face light up and hearing that giggle every time we enter her room melts my heart. So I thought, why not share some of my playroom ideas with other parents looking to create a special place for their children. You may click on the photo below to enlarge it.

 

PlayroomColors: I envisioned a colorful, fun place that would brighten Quinn’s mood even when she may be a little grumpy but also reinforce learning, so I went with a rainbow. Rather than paint the four walls, I focused mainly on the ceiling and had the rainbow come down one side of the wall with the shelving unit. Sometimes, we actually lie on the floor, which consists of corresponding, colorful, cushy floor mats (purchased through Amazon.com), and look up at the ceiling as she points to the different colors. Quinn enjoys looking at the different size circles and “Quinn’s Playroom” which are actually decals that my sister thought I carefully painted myself (also ordered through Amazon.com).

Toy Storage: Instead of having a traditional toy box, most of Quinn’s toys are on display in a shelving unit purchased at Ikea to encourage her to reach for the ones on the lower shelves and to put them back exactly where they belong. On the lower shelves, I have Ikea storage boxes with the pictures and names of the objects which I added with iron-on labels, to promote reading and sight recognition. I also included a seating area with comfortable Dr. Seuss cushions  I made for adults visiting or activities for Quinn. This area doubles as storage behind the colorful curtains I made with fabric purchased from Joann Fabrics.

 Educational Toys: A playroom isn’t an effective playroom without toys but not just any toys: toys that promote learning, physical and cognitive development. Lakeshore Learning, Beckers as well as Amazon.com were some of my go-to places. Of course, every toy and activity is not for every child, but I do plan on providing follow-up blog entries on which toys Quinn loves and are really engaging her in the learning process.

Though my little Quinn is not in an actual school, I am extremely excited as she starts her first official day of “Mommy and Me Play School.” (and daddy too 🙂

All the best,

Tanya

It’s My Hair, and I’ll Cry If I Want Too Baby!

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An Anomaly: Quinn smiling as she gets her hair done

An Anomaly: Quinn smiling as she gets her hair done

It’s wonderful dressing up little girls! There’s so many cute outfits, pretty little shoes, not to mention the adorable hair accessories. Unfortunately, as cute as the finished product may be, it is no fun for my 13 month old Quinn. She loathes getting her hair washed. As soon as she sees the shampoo she begins to whimper and cry hysterically. Combing her hair, and styling it tends to be a battle as well, but I’ve been doing a little trial and error to make the experience better for the both of us. Maybe you also struggle with doing your little girl’s hair, so this is what occasionally works for me.

1.Singing:  I either sing a children’s song I know she loves, or I have the song playing and sing along. It may not consistently calm her down, but it works about 80 percent of the time.

2. Snack: Even though I don’t want Quinn to associate food with getting her hair done or as a reward for sitting still and not fussing, she is more patient as I’m doing her hair while she is having her snack. If you look at the photo, you’ll see a box in the background containing her snacks.

3. Teamwork: I try to make her a part of the process by letting her hold a brush or comb or to look in her hair accessory box with me to get the items ready for her hairstyle.

4. Eagerness: Though she may not completely understand yet, I talk to her to get her eager and excited about getting her hair done. It works sometimes.

5. Distractions: Anything that can keep Quinn’s attention and distract her while I’m doing her hair is used. It may be “Super Why” or “Thomas and Friends,” a book or small toy she loves.

6. Intervals: Doing her hair in small intervals allowing her to have a break works too. For example, if she has four pony tails, I may do two then give her a fifteen minute break or a little longer, depending on how fussy she is about getting her hair done, then do the other two.

7. Right Products: I make sure to use hair styling products that are gentle on her hair but make it soft and manageable so that detangling her hair does not cause her too much distress.

Do you have a little one who prefers that you leave her hair alone? What works for you when you’re trying to give her an adorable style or to simply wash her hair? Please feel free to share.

All the best,

Tanya